Can Video Be The Future Of Podcasting If We're Sick Of It?

Over the last year, video has encroached into many corners of our lives. While some camera-shy podcasters are now leaning in with video-only projects, some of us are sick of video already.

January 28, 2021

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It seems like at least once a year, the headline “video is the future of podcasting” pops back up on every news media’s transom. Some guy—and it’s always a guy—with chops in the movie, television, or streaming video industry is convinced that his idea will be the idea to finally push podcasting away from audio-only to go full-on video.

You should take those prognostications with a grain of salt. Or maybe a block of salt? While that prediction might eventually be true, we don’t live in that scifi future just yet. Today, we live in a world where many of us are getting sick of video-based communications and content.

Opting Out Of Video

I recognize that I may be projecting. And I’m certainly using far too small of a sample size to conduct this markedly not-scientific study. But for a year now video has been forced upon us. We’ve been doing things via video communication that we would have normally done in the real world. We’re doing work on video. We’re going to school on video. We use video calls to have happy hours with friends and even celebrate holidays with family via video cameras. We’re trying to stay in shape by using video workouts. And depressingly, we’re even attending funerals via video.

I’m on video calls frequently, as I’m sure you are as well. A growing trend I’m noticing is lots of blank screens when a participant chooses to not activate their video camera. It’s not that they can’t activate their camera. It’s a choice made by many people who are already sick of video.

I’m also getting a lot more phone calls than ever before. And, strangely enough, I’m choosing to initiate more phone calls, either directly with my phone or via a mobile app like Signal that lets me talk to one or more person, no video required. Those apps allow video connections, but more and more often, I just click the archaic telephone receiver icon. 📞

Now that’s really weird for me. Back when I had an office and a day job, I rarely answered my desk phone. My outbound message was said I wouldn’t check voice mail. And look at me today.

Video For Work, Audio For An Escape

Please don’t take my musings as a condemnation of video-based communications. There are massive benefits of video communications. In fact, prior grousings aside, I tend to prefer the face-to-face interactions afforded with video connections, especially when interacting with prospective clients or vendors for the first time.

I’m finding myself using audio-only as an escape. That’s probably not a surprise to you, the working podcaster. We know that people use podcasting as a way to escape the hustle-and-bustle of their busy lives, either taking some alone-time, getting some education, catching up with current events, or a myriad of other reasons that don’t require their facial expressions to be placed on display.

It helps to remember the role the original escapist media—books—played (and plays) in the larger media landscape. Books predate and have yet to be replaced by movies or television. Nor will they be replaced. At least not anytime soon.

Books and other visual media feed into one another. One does not replace the other. Yes, book series’ like The Expanse and Game of Thrones were adapted into successful visual properties. But Star Wars started as a single movie and spanned a universe of book-only content that dwarfs the visual properties that cover the same universe. (Though Disney clearly has designs on making video versions of everything related to Star Wars. But I’m digressing. Again.)

Video, be it movies, television, or streaming, didn't kill books. Just like video—any of those forms—is not going to go podcasting.

Some Words On How To Make How-To Content Better

I need to acknowledge the power of how-to video content. Millions of people loading up how-to video content clearly played a role in the success of YouTube as a platform. And all of us are better for those how-to videos existing. Chances are, whatever you want to do; someone has done it on camera and loaded it to YouTube for you to watch.

For those approaching a task for the first time, those how-to videos are extremely helpful, detailing the entire process in a step-by-step method that’s easy to pause and rewind as necessary.

But a lot of people turn to how-to information when they are stuck in the middle of a process. Getting the video to play just the part where help is needed isn’t yet a reality. And video creators are notorious for not bothering to write up accompanying text. Why should they? It’s all in the video.

Text would really help. A fully written article based on that video is skimmable. And indexable. And extremely helpful to someone who’s stuck in the middle process.

You don’t get a pass on this either, podcaster. We have the same problem when we don’t write an article based on our episode. Especially if you too are doing step-by-step or how-to content in your episodes. Unlock that stuff. Write an article. No, not just a copy/paste of the transcript. Yes, you should include a transcript, but you need a well-written article posted as well. Please?

Sickness As A Sign Of Pending Disruption

Some of us (👋) are sick of video. Media moguls continue to promote the false narrative that video is the future of podcasting. I’d bet that some entrepreneur has noticed these trends and is working on some disruptive technology. In fact, there are probably dozens or hundreds doing so, each looking for a solution that redefines what the future of video might look like.

But no, I don’t think podcasting will naturally evolve into video anytime soon Of course, I reserve the right to change my opinion on that as new disruptive forces put pressure on audio and video in the coming years.

Until that time, you keep on making amazing podcasts. And yes, your episodes probably could also do with a little more writing to accompany them. But that's on you.

Tomorrow I’m again hosting Podcast Pontifications on Clubhouse. No, I’m not recording an episode of the show on Clubhouse. I’m hosting a conversation with Podcast Pontifications listeners like yourself. We’ll be talking about how podcasters who have been in the game for a while can keep up with the rapid changes in podcasting. So come and share your ideas with all of us. Or just listen in. We’re on at 11:00a Phoenix time. That’s 10:00a Los Angeles and 1:00p in New York.

Finally, go to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra and support my efforts with a small donation.

I shall be back on Monday with yet another Podcast Pontifications.

Cheers!

Transcript

[Download & share this transcript]

Over the last year, video has encroached into many corners of our lives. While some camera shy podcasters have leaned in and started video-only projects, some of us are sick of video already.
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Hello, and welcome to another Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra.
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It seems like every year someone says that video is the future of podcasting, but that guy - it's always a guy who says that - is a video guy, a movie guy, a TV guy, or maybe someone who's made it big on one of the streaming platforms now.
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So take their prognostications with a grain of salt. I think we should, because I don't see that happening, at least not anytime real soon, even though it's been predicted over and over again. In fact, I think many of us, me included, are already sick of video. Now it's possible I'm just projecting. I totally understand that.
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But we have had a year now of being forced, if you will, to do things on video that we would have normally done in the real world - school on video, work on video, holidays on video, happy hour with friends on video, workouts, funerals. So I think because of that.
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And then there are good and bad sides to it.
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One, it's great because what was phone call situations, you know, now you can do with the face and see, I get it. So there have been some benefits from it, but at the same time, I think a lot of people are over it.
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You know, I am like you on a lot of video calls with clients, with prospects , in meetings, all the things I mentioned before, I have noticed a lot more blank screens where people are choosing not to activate their video.
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Maybe you've seen a similar trend. I see a lot of cameras not activated. I'm also getting, and I'm also making, a lot more phone calls than I ever did. Then that means picking up the phone, dialing a number either with the phone or with an app, like Signal or something else, to facilitate the communication that has no video components.
I'm doing a lot more of those than I ever had. It used to be I refused to answer my phone at my desk when I had a real job. And now it's becoming a new way - well, not a new way, becoming more and more important as a way to communicate.
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I think, and this is pure speculation that we're using audio more and more of an escape, which is nothing new to you, working podcaster. But I think that the regular people out there are starting to see audio as a way not to be forced to be on that camera. It's an escape, much like a book is an escape, but it's not an escape for pure pleasure, it's an escape from the being forced to being stuck behind that darn camera.
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You know, speaking of books, let's remember that books weren't killed off by television or by movies, right? That didn't happen. That's not going to happen. Books will stay a part of our lives. Even though there are lots of other video entertainment and right, in fact, books and movies feed into TV and to movies back and forth.
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The Expanse, great scifi series on Amazon Prime, if you're not watching, it was a book. Same with that with Game of Thrones. But think about Star Wars, a movie back in 1977 that has, yes, there've been lots of movies afterwards, but the book universe of that is huge. Right?
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So anyhow, video didn't kill books. It's not going to kill podcasting.
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"How To" content is still, you know, tied up a lot of the YouTube. You can go to YouTube and look how to for just about everything. But I'm seeing also people, and I'm one of these people, who, when getting a YouTube video or some sort of video on a how to thing, I don't want to sit and watch the fifteen-minute long video of how to do something start to finish.
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I have a question about the middle of the process and I can't skim that video. So I want some text. I want an article that says here's how to do that, step-by-step and I also want the video. But I can't skip, I can't skim through the video to get to the heart of the part where I'm stuck right now.
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By the way, podcasters, we have the same problem in audio. If you're doing a step-by-step guide to people with audio, you also need to put the text out there, not just the transcript. Yes, you need to put the transcript, but you also need to have a well-written article so someone can skim it and find just the part that they need.
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So yeah, some of us are sick of video. I know I'm one of them. Which probably means that video is ripe for disruption. It's probably time. And there are people out there right now looking at ways to say, well, what can we do differently with video?
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So we'll keep our eye on the space, but no, we're not - podcasting is not going to naturally evolve into video. Relax.
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Now I may change my opinion on that over the years, but it's not happening this year. Probably won't happen next. So until that time, you keep on making them amazing podcasts, please, if you would.
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By the way, you probably could also do a little more writing around that so that people who would like to read your content can get the content, get the full information, but that's on you.
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You keep on keeping on.
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Now tomorrow, as I've said previously, tomorrow's Friday. No episodes of Podcast Pontifications on Friday, but I am doing Podcast Pontifications on Clubhouse. I'm not pushing the podcast out there. It's a conversation. Tomorrow at eleven o'clock in the morning, Phoenix time, ten o'clock LA, and one PM, New York City.
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We're going to be talking about how we keep up, how we podcasters keep up with things like this - video could be a component. So it's an open conversation. Please come and chime in with your voice, would be helpful on the Clubhouse. There will be a link in the episode details.
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Finally, go to buymeacoffee.com/evoterra if you want to show me your support. Thanks very much.
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Have a lovely weekend, if I don't see you. And then I shall be back - well, hear you - I'll be back on Monday with yet another Podcast Pontifications.
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Cheers!

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